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Citizen Kane Research Paper.When Discussing The Greatest

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Citizen Kane Research Paper When discussing the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, usually comes up. It’s influence in American cinema can still be felt today, but at the time the film was not released without controversy. The main character in the movie, Charles Foster Kane, is undeniably based of the real life figure of William Randolph Hearst, a famous American newspaper publisher. Hearst was very aware of this fact and tried to hinder the success of Welles’ picture by denying it any sort of press in his newspapers. Despite the smear campaign Kane’s influence lives on through Welles’ revolutionary filmic techniques and its presence in pop culture.
At the beginning of production for Citizen Kane …show more content…

Mayer helped Hearst by offering to buy the print of the film only to destroy it. Other Hearst defenders intimidated film curators into not showing the movie. With the attacks were coming left and right, Arnold Weissberger, the manager of Orson Welles, sent this memo to him: “ 'This is not a tempest in a teapot, it will not calm down, the forces opposed to us are constantly at work.” Members of The Hearst organization seemed to have it constantly out for Welles, even if direct orders weren’t given from Hearst himself. They repeatedly try to align Welles as a communist, trying to get him on the Hollywood communist blacklist. The craziest scheme set forward by one of Hearst’s lackeys, was a plot to frame him as a pedophile. Welles was on a post-film lecture tour when a police officer stops him before entering his hotel room. The officer said that a photographer had planted a fourteen year old girl in his closet, waiting for Welles to enter so he could take pictures. Welles decided to stay overnight at the train station to avoid all the controversy. Hearst’s campaign to diminish the film’s returns were, at the time, somewhat successful. The film did get released and was the sixth highest grossing film of that year, the studios had expected more. It went on to receive nine nominations and one win (best screenplay) from the 1941 Academy Awards.
Citizen Kane as a film is highly heralded, its fresh techniques went on to influence film everywhere. A

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